Ankle-brace.



No. 660,885. Pate htad flct. 30', moo.

A. J. a n. T. BRAUER.

ANKLE BnAcE.

(Application filed June 9, 1900.)

(No Model.)

"NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR J. BRAUER AND ROBERT T.'BRAUER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BRACE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 660,88 5, dated October30, 1900.

Application filed June 9, 1900.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR J. BRAUER and ROBERT T. BRAUER,citizens ofthe United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri,have invented a certain new and usefulImprovementinAnkle-Braces,0f whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming partof this specification, in which- Figure l is a view illustrating ourimproved ankle-brace in position on the' foot of a per-- son. Fig. 2 isan elevational view of the brace as seen from the outside. Fig. 3 is asimilar view as seen from the inside, and Fig. 4 is a detail view of. amodified-form of strap connection to the brace.

This invention relates to anew and useful improvement in ankle-bracesdesigned to be worn by skaters for the purpose of stiffening the ankle,but at the same time permitting flexibility of the wearers foot.

The brace as an entirety is designed to be made of leather or otherflexible material, is light, cheap, and easily applied.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the construction,arrangement, and combination of the several parts, all as will behereinafter described and afterward pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, A indicates the body portion of the brace,which ispreferably stamped from leather or other suitable material, said bodyportion being provided at its ends with eyelets a to cooperate with alace by which the brace may be attached to the wearers foot.

The sides of the brace are perforated, as at a, to accommodate theprotruding anklebones of the foot. These perforations are desirable inthat the brace fits the foot more neatly and snugly and is thusprevented from undue movement, which might "chafe the Wearers foot.

One side of the brace, which we will term the inside, is formed with atongue or extension a, to which is riveted or secured by suitable meansa strap B. This strap may be formed integral with the brace; but inorder to save material in stamping outthe seria1No.19,693. (No model.)

brace the strap is generally made of a separate piece.

0 indicates a'semicircular piece of material which is riveted orotherwise secured at its ends to the outer side of the brace and on eachside of the perforations a. This semicircular piece'of. material Ccarries a buckle D, said buckle beingheld in position by a separatepiece (1, riveted to the semicircular piece 0, or said buckle may beheld in place by a tongue cl, formed on the semicircular piece andfolded back, where it is held by a rivet.

pass under the Wearers foot and be secured in the buckle-I), the strapbeing drawn tight or let out to accommodate different sizes. lacing thebrace imposition it may bedrawn tight or snug, as desired by the wearer.By securing the buckle to a semicircular piece of material straddlingthe opening, said semicircular piece being secured at two or more placesto the brace, the strain imparted through the buckle is distributed overthe side of the brace, so thatthe pull of the strap will not undulytighten the ticular point.

We are aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement,andcombination of the several parts of our device may be and describedwithout in the least departing from the nature and principle of. ourinvention. I

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desireto secureby Letters Patent, is I 1. The herein-described brace comprising theankle, a strap for connecting the ends of the body portion, and meansfor drawing the contiguous ends of the brace in position, said bracebeing formed with circular perforations or openings opposite theprotruding bones of the ankle,substantially as described.

2. The herein described ankle-brace comprising a flexible body portionmade in one piece and designed to embrace the ankle, a strap, meansfordrawing the contiguous ends of the body portion around the ankle ofthe wearer, said body portion being provided with circular openings toaccommodate the promade and substituted for those herein shown aflexible body portion designed to embrace Strap B, as shown in Fig. l,is designedto brace at-any partruding ankle-bones, a buckle for thestrap, and a support for said buckle which is attached to the bodyportion on each side of one of the openings for one of the protrudingankle-bones, for distributing the pull of the strap, substantially asdescribed.

3. The herein'described ankle-brace comprising a flexible body portionmade in one piece for embracing the ankle, means for drawing thecontiguous ends of said body port-ion around the ankle of the wearer,and a strap connected to the lower edges of said body portion near itsends, substantially as described.

4. The herein-described ankle-brace comprising a body portion providedwith circular openings to accommodate protruding anklebones said bodyportion embracing the ankle,a semicircular strip secured at its ends oneach side of one of said openings, a buckle carried by said semicircularstrip, a strap carried by the opposite end of the body portion forcooperating with said buckle, and means for securing the contiguous endsof said body portion in position on the wearers foot, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures, in the presenceof two witnesses, this 6th day of June, 1900.

ARTHUR J. BRAUER. ROBERT T. BRAUER. Witnesses:

WM. H. ScoTT, A. S. GRAY.

